Mike Whaley: Sixty years later and still going strong

Thursday

Nov 8, 2012 at 3:15 AM

Editor’s note: This Saturday the Farmington 500 Boys & Girls Club Sports Hall of Fame will induct its sixth class. The 500 will also honor the players from that first youth baseball season in 1952 on the occasion of the club’s 60th anniversary.

Sixty years ago a few good Farmington citizens like Rufus Rundlett and Walter Rouillard noticed there were few recreational opportunities for Farmington’s youth. They decided to do something about it.

“We had no money. We just had an idea,” said Rundlett in 2002.

The Farmington 500 Boys Club (now the Farmington 500 Boys & Girls Club) was born. Rundlett said the name “500” came from the club’s first venture to raise money. They sold 500 chances at $1 each and drew winners who took home varying increments of half the pot. The 500 chances were sold once a month on a Friday evening in the town square.

“We were told when we started it wasn’t going to last,” Rundlett recalled. “The old timers told us ’you fellows think you’re doing something, but it won’t last.’ Well it lasted.”

At the time of his death in 2007 at the age of 98, Rundlett was the last living original founder of the 500 Club. He was also the organization’s first president.

The 500 celebrated its 60th birthday this year and this past spring they held the 60th opening day ceremony for baseball (and softball, too) at the Summer Street park given to the 500 all those years ago by Dr. William H. Ellison.

Jerry McCarthy was 10 years old in 1952, the year the Farmington 500 sponsored the first youth baseball season.

Harry Truman was president. The New York Yankees won their fourth straight World Series, stopping the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games, and Rocky Marciano retained his heavyweight boxing title with a 13-round knockout of Jersey Joe Walcott.

That first season there were four teams (Braves, Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers). Each team had 15 players.

As McCarthy recalls, the league played ball from June to August, with a break around July 4. Games were played during weekdays only.

A tryout was held at the current Farmington 500 field on Summer Street, donated to the 500 that year by Dr. Ellison and his wife. The teams were posted outside Rundlett’s barbershop on a piece of cardboard with the team, coach, and player names written in black crayon.

“You read down to see if you were on it,” recalled McCarthy, who was a pitcher-shortstop for the Yankees. “That was a big deal. There was a line of bicycles on the sidewalk waiting their turn to read it.”

That first opening day was held on a Sunday in early June and it was noted in the old Farmington News that, “One of the largest crowds seen at the ball park in recent years was on hand for the opening of the season last Sunday, and a successful launching of Farmington’s Little League was witnessed. With the grandstand and many parked cars full of parents and other interested spectators, the afternoon festivities were begun with a flag-raising ceremony in center field, while the national anthem was played. Three Farmington Boy Scouts in full uniform raised Old Glory to the top of the newly erected flagpole to the cheers of all.”

McCarthy said his memory isn’t what it once was, but as he recalled the coaches of the four teams in ‘52 were Winston Pinkham (Yankees), Eddie Pouliot (Dodgers), Herbie Derby (Red Sox) and Al Densmore (Braves). Others like Jim Ham, Val Martineau and [comma instead of and?]Meat Merrill and Moe Chaisson also helped out.

Charlie Tirrell, decked out in full umpire’s gear (blue pants and jacket), called every game behind the plate, and did it for a long time.

It was baseball, baseball, baseball, that first summer.

“Back then, that’s all you had to do,” McCarthy said. “Even the coaches. It’s all you did morning, day and night was play baseball.”

McCarthy remembered how a big a deal it was to get your first uniform.

“You were only supposed to wear it at games,” he said. “But you’d see some kid downtown with his jersey on.”

It was duly noted that first year that the uniforms were, in some cases, several sizes too big, and young ball players could be seen literally swimming in their uniforms.

The 500, of course, has grown 60 years later and now features more athletic opportunities for the town‘s youth, including girls. The name change came in 2002, incorporating girls into the organization’s name: the Farmington 500 Boys and Girls Club.

Today, the 500 not only sponsors youth baseball and softball, but also archery, volleyball, soccer and basketball. The club recently helped foot the initial cost for the town to have a Farmington team play in the Rochester Youth Football League.

“It’s huge,” said McCarthy, who was on hand this past spring for the 60th opening day and even threw out a first pitch. “That organization has been around 60 years for the kids.”

Here’s to 60 more.

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Below is a team roster for each of the four inaugural teams back in 1952: